The very first night I arrived in Asau, as I stepped out of the car into the darkness of a Samoan night, I still remember my very first thought as being, “Wow, it smells different here!” In spite of the fact that animals roam every square foot of land (okay, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but it feels true sometimes), the air smelled spicy and fragrant—not hit-you-in-the-face floral, but not far off.
Since then my nose has acclimated to the scents, and I no longer notice the wonderful smell of the air I breathe, but it would be hard to ignore the source of the fragrance. Along every stretch of wall, road, and house, exotic plants flower continuously and effortlessly, thanks to the humid, warm climate. All these flowers are free-growing; no one tends to them, weeds them, or waters them. I guess you could say the Lord is the best landscaper there is! J
Just the other day, Hannah and I were out driving hither and yon about the village. I noticed a gorgeous plumeria tree in someone’s front yard—the blossoms were hot pink and white, and looked as if someone had painted them. I might have suspected it if I hadn’t seen them growing on the tree! Also, no one here has time to be painting flowers on bushes; they’re too busy harvesting crops, tending to children, and washing laundry. I remarked to Hannah that those were the prettiest plumeria flowers I had ever seen, and she responded with, “Would you like some for your hair?” I had forgotten that flowers are free for the picking here—as long as you don’t cut them, anyone is allowed to take any flower off any bush or tree. Hannah found several for me that had fallen out of the tree and lay on the ground, waiting for someone to come along and take them home. It still amazes me that something that would be so expensive at home is of so little account here!
This may not be my most exciting post, but I’m still hearing from people who say, “Tell us everything! Show us everything!” Okay, I’m taking you at your word and showing you some of the plant-life of remote Samoa. Don’t worry—I have a longer, more interesting post coming later in the week if you’ll hang in there! J
Since then my nose has acclimated to the scents, and I no longer notice the wonderful smell of the air I breathe, but it would be hard to ignore the source of the fragrance. Along every stretch of wall, road, and house, exotic plants flower continuously and effortlessly, thanks to the humid, warm climate. All these flowers are free-growing; no one tends to them, weeds them, or waters them. I guess you could say the Lord is the best landscaper there is! J
Just the other day, Hannah and I were out driving hither and yon about the village. I noticed a gorgeous plumeria tree in someone’s front yard—the blossoms were hot pink and white, and looked as if someone had painted them. I might have suspected it if I hadn’t seen them growing on the tree! Also, no one here has time to be painting flowers on bushes; they’re too busy harvesting crops, tending to children, and washing laundry. I remarked to Hannah that those were the prettiest plumeria flowers I had ever seen, and she responded with, “Would you like some for your hair?” I had forgotten that flowers are free for the picking here—as long as you don’t cut them, anyone is allowed to take any flower off any bush or tree. Hannah found several for me that had fallen out of the tree and lay on the ground, waiting for someone to come along and take them home. It still amazes me that something that would be so expensive at home is of so little account here!
This may not be my most exciting post, but I’m still hearing from people who say, “Tell us everything! Show us everything!” Okay, I’m taking you at your word and showing you some of the plant-life of remote Samoa. Don’t worry—I have a longer, more interesting post coming later in the week if you’ll hang in there! J
Impatiens! We always grew these flowers in trays and pots at home when I was small, so it was a surprise to find them growing indigenously here. They grow up through the cracks in the road, kind of like our dandelions.
I'm not sure what these lovely peach flowers are, but they add color to the Civale's front yard!
This picture doesn't really go in this post, but I don't really know where to put it! This is the grave of Miss Emi's father, a high chief in the village. There are graves in front of basically every house here--this is one of the simpler ones. It does seem a little strange to have something like this in the front yard, but I've gotten used to it. Just an interesting cultural thing.
Okay, this picture doesn't really go either, but it does have some palm trees in the background (and a telephone pole!). Isn't Kit so cute?!
A view of the ocean from the Civale's house. Too bad about the wires everywhere! Hey, I'm grateful for the electricity they bring--especially when the power goes out! :)
Same view, different day, different time. That's the church baptistery in the foreground.
Have I posted a picture of the Civale's house before? I can't remember, so here's one, just in case I didn't.
The road in front of the house. I love the volcanic-rock walls! Especially when they're lined with those yellow-ish bushes.
This is a plumeria tree. You can see some of the blooms at the top--they fall off every day, and I have a fresh one for behind my ear every morning! :)
As I was saying, you just pick 'em off the ground. If you're unmarried, you tuck them behind your right ear; if you're married, the left.
Bright yellow and peach blooms on these bushes! I don't wear the yellow ones, as they wilt too quickly, and the peach ones are too big to get behind my ear.
This pavilion-type structure is at the side of the Civale's house. Most families here live in these, with no walls and little furniture. No one's living in this 'house' right now, and they use it for storage.
By the way, this is a cacao bean! For all of us chocolate lovers, this is where it starts. :)
Okay, this post is a little more random than I thought it was going to be! I will have a more organized, less random post soon--I just have a lot of pictures that don't really go in any particular category.
Okay, this post is a little more random than I thought it was going to be! I will have a more organized, less random post soon--I just have a lot of pictures that don't really go in any particular category.
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